CES: Samsung Galaxy Nexus to get Ubuntu Linux makeover next month

LAS VEGAS: Ubuntu developer Canonical has disclosed that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first device to get the phone version of its Linux platform in February.

Speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Canonical said that it will debut its Ubuntu for Phones operating system on Google's previous-generation Nexus in a matter of weeks.

Canonical said it will be made available as a download, and that the Galaxy Nexus will be the only phone that the software image will be available for initially.

While all the major development work has been done to make Ubuntu run on a handset, device-specific code and drivers need to be added to optimise the platform for each smartphone model.

This means it will be up to vendors or the open-source community to produce images that users can install to upgrade their handsets to Ubuntu.

Canonical unveiled Ubuntu for Phones earlier this month, offering users the full desktop Linux experience on a smaller screen. The operating system has been designed to work with both low-end and high-end smartphones, and Canonical said that it supports existing HTML5 apps such as those designed by Google.

Speaking at the operating system's launch, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth said, "Your average Android developer is already using Ubuntu, as it is the typical developer platform," adding that he expects these people to have no difficulty in supporting the new platform.